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Questions & Answers about Je, hicho ni kitabu chako?
What does Je indicate at the beginning of the sentence?
In Swahili, Je is used to form a yes/no question. It doesn’t have a direct translation in English; rather, it signals that the following statement is a question.
Why do we use hicho instead of another demonstrative?
Hicho is the demonstrative for something in the ki/vi noun class (the class that includes kitabu, meaning “book”) and points to something that is a bit removed from the speaker but still relatively near.
How do I know that kitabu is in the ki/vi class?
You can tell by its singular form ki-tabu and plural form vi-tabu. Nouns in this class typically start with ki in the singular and vi in the plural (e.g., kiti / viti for “chair/chairs”).
Why does chako mean “your” here?
Swahili possessive adjectives follow the noun class concord. Since kitabu belongs to the ki/vi class, its possessive form uses -chako to mean “your” in the second-person singular.
Is the intonation important when using Je at the start of a question?
Yes, intonation can help convey that it’s a question, but the presence of Je generally lets the listener know right away that it’s a yes/no question, even if the intonation is subtle.